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Reviews

Reviews (62)

Excellent– based on 62 reviews
Excellent 62 reviews

Excellent

55

Very Good

6

Average

1

Poor

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Terrible

0

“A destination for the discerning traveller”

Reviewed 24 Apr 2014

For those of you who like your reviews short: Ibu ana's Pondok is delightful. Go there.
Read On,
The safe and welcoming grounds are awash in colourful vegetation. The lodgings (three traditionally constructed buildings) are clean, comfortable and charming. Ana's staff are friendly and very willing to assist you. The location is out amongst the rice fields and so the sounds of rural life fill the air (roosters crowing, ducks quacking, serenading frogs...)
Ana can set up unique excursions (at very reasonable prices) for you that get you to places before the bus hordes arrive, and to places where they don't/cant go. It is here where you will find the hidden Bali of underpopulated beaches, artisans, markets, performances and spectacularly unspoiled jungle walks. I Wayan Dira will tell you all you wish to know about Bali life while shuttling you around safely in air conditioned comfort.
We had a wonderful time and it exceeded our expectations.
Highly Recommended.

“A rural Balinese paradise”

Reviewed 19 Apr 2014

We thoroughly enjoyed a fortnight's holiday at ann Donnan's guesthouse, pondok Ibu anna, just outside Ubud. We stayed in the traditionally-built Villa, one of three lodgings on the site, with all it's amenities and delicious breakfasts, surrounded by a beautifully garden, isolated pavilion and fish pond. The staff, Kadek and Iluh, were competent and so polite and charming to talk to.
Many days were spent on exciting excursions (volcanoes, temples, river rafting, snorkelling, coffee-fruit-spice gardens, rice terraces) ably lead by Yandira and ann who have such a wealth of knowledge about everything in Bali. Another highlight was a jungle walk on which we tasted different fruits along the way, watched palm sugar being made, drank fresh coconut, and culminated in a Balinese lunch and a sample of Balinese dancing.
Thoroughly recommended for young and old.

Response from the ownerThank you for taking the time to write a review - much appreciated. My passion is to show guests a different and precious side of Bali.You are welcome any time !

“Wonderful Bali Experience”

Reviewed 16 Apr 2014

This is a perfect oasis for rest and relaxation in a beautiful garden, made even lovelier by the care and consideration of Ibu ana and her staff. The breakfasts were delicious - the fresh yogurt and lemon butter were a great combination. The driver, Yandira, was so knowledgable as we travelled everywhere - from mountain to beach - and each outing became an opportunity to learn about the customs and history of Bali. We took scenic drives, saw beautiful temples, and fascinating local markets. Ana arranged wonderful local experiences for us, including cooking classes, and an incredible jungle walk. I would highly recommend this great Bali experience.

“A balinese dream in the rice fields on Penestenan”

Reviewed 15 Apr 2014

If you every get a chance to go to Bali stay with Ibu anna at her Pondok and Kunang-Kunang Guesthouse in Penestenan. It was wonderful. The location was great. Located deep in the ricefields of a very small village near Ubud. The people though, made the adventure. Ibu anna, Yandira, Kadek and Iluh made our stay most relaxing, exciting, and so very interesting. Kadek and Iluh take care of all of your needs within the compound. Assistants, par extraordinaire!
Each day, Ibu anna and Yandira had a great selection of options for us to consider. Over the course of the two weeks we spent with them, we had some quiet days, just enjoying the compound's birds and gardens, walking on the rice field paths into Ubud, and reading our books near the fishpond in the garden. On other days though, we had adventures that I'd wager are amongst the best Bali has to offer. We went white water rafting with a very experienced guide in the back and Yandira in the front. It was great. We went to White Sands and to Blue Lagoon beaches, both far from the regular tourist crowd and so lovely. We were able to get to the volcano lookouts before the tourist buses arrived and somehow, almost magically, have a number of important temples, seemingly to ourselves. Furthermore, we ended up in little villages, where we met the artisans who make the silver, batiks, Keliki paintings, indigo dying, carvings and then sell from their homes. We went on a jungle walk, high up in a very small village where there were no tourists. True village life. Don't miss the cooking class or the evening entertainment on offer. Particularly the Kecak performance.
Other reviews and and the photos will give you a good idea of what Ibu anna's property is like. Don't just go for the great accommodations...go for the adventures that Ibu anna and Yandira will take you on. They're more than worth every penny and you'll be asking yourself when you'll be able to come back to experience the ones you couldn't fit in.

“Lovely Oasis close to town”

Reviewed 3 Apr 2014

We stayed at abu anna's lovely place for my 50th birthday, and it was a perfect place to relax, unwind, and from which to explore Bali. Our room was lovely, with a large outdoor living area surrounded by beautiful gardens where we were served a delicious breakfast every morning. The staff was very helpful and our host, Abu anna, was the best--friendly, interesting, helpful, and genuinely interested in insuring that we had a wonderful experience-which we did. She arranged a spa day for my birthday, an evening outing to see local music and dance, and-the highlight of our trip-an excursion to a remote village in the mountains, where our local guide took us on an amazing trip through both his village and the surrounding jungle, explaining Balinese customs, picking wild fruits for us to sample, and concluding with a delicious meal prepared by his wife from food he had gathered on our jungle hike. Amazing. Then our guides wife and daughter gave us an impromptu demonstration of Balinese dance. I later found out that our host, Abu anna, arranges these tours to support the locals who have a difficult time earning an income, so the (very reasonable) cost of our tour all went to the local folks. We had a great time and were happy to know that we had helped some lovely people. Would highly recommend the entire experience and hope to go back one day soon.

“Wonderful!”

Reviewed 3 Apr 2014

My wife and I visited Bali and stayed at the beautiful at Pondok Ibu ana in the Firefly guest House. "Ibu ana" as she is affectionately known, was our delightful hostess and she made our trip wonderful. The room was immaculate and very tastefully decorated. The outdoor shower added an exotic flair and showering was like washing in the Garden of Eden. Each morning we were greeted by her friendly staff and had a delicious breakfast of fresh duck eggs, fresh fruit,lemon yogurt and coffee and tea. the outdoor sitting area in ana's amazing garden was the perfect place to relax after a day of adventure exploring the nearby rice fields, Ubud or the amazing jungle. Ana took us for a jungle hike that was the highlight of the trip. I highly recommend staying with Ibu ana and look forward to returning.

“An experience that will stay with you forever”

Reviewed 6 Nov 2013

My Husband and I chose Bali Firefly for our honeymoon two years ago this time of year. Having loved the pictures and finding ann very easy to contact we were just awe struck when we entered her immactulate property we walked around with our jaws dropped as we took it all in.
Over the course of our stay we easily became freinds with her beautiful staff. Each morning Kadek along with his cousin Iluh would delight us with delishious breakfasts and were constant in making sure our stay was as comfortable as possible, seeing to the daily running of the property as quietly and respectfully though they weren't even there. Yandira would become a fantastic companion as he showed us the best bits of Bali as per our particular interests, nothing was to hard for him and we would have some fantastic conversations on our long day trips (Ann and Yandira have done much explopration together and know all the hidden gems giving us the best experiences in the shortest amount of time) a man were pround to call friend during our time. It must also be mentioned the tireless efforts of the quiet but friendly gardener Nyoman with ann's keen eye for lushious gardens together they created breath taking surrounds, some days there really was no desire to leave our little sanctury. Finally ann herself or as affectionately dubbed Ibu anna by the locals was just like being around an old friend it's her spirit that truely makes this place so special! We could not fault anything on our stay and to this day not a week goes by that both my husband and I don't wish were there once again in our little slice of paridise! Bali Firefly is in our hearts forever an we will definately endevour to return as many times as we can.

“Amazing!!”

Reviewed 3 Aug 2013

we had the great opotunity to meet ibu anna... she, kadek, madeh and yandira provided us a very warm welcome. we stayed for eight nights at the kunang-kunang. we had such a great honeymoon there. this place is a piece of heaven on earth. kadek is a perfect employee. he is allways there to help you. yandira is a great guide. the breakfast is very delicious ( duck-egg, toast, homemade marmelade, fruitsalat, coffe or tea, sirsakdrink; - dont forget to ask for kadek's famous blackricepudding!! all employees will love you for that ;-). ) for lunch and dinner are very good warungs in the near. ( our favourite was bubu's warung and lala&lili;). here you get a complete dinner for est. 12 $ (2 pers). the guesthouse has an outside bathroom which is very nice. the sleeping room is getting prepared by kadek every night ( anti-mosquito) which worked very well! you have a small fridge in your room.
the wi-fi worked well.
the highlight of this special place is the bale belong in the center of the garden! great place to relax and enjoy. and have you breakfast!
but the best are the great recommendetations from yandira or ibu... the kecak/firedance is a very good show, but dont miss the jegong-concert! it is a blast!
one of the greatest day was an arranged jungle-walk with alit! despite the weather conditions this is a must-do! there is only ony one word to describe... delicious! ibu took us to this very special trip and we were speachless! alit and his family are so nice people!
and while you are in ubud, dont forget to ask for a wellnes-treatment in the near spa's...
in a nuitshell: this place is great! we loved the time we spent there!

“The real Bali experience”

Reviewed 28 Jun 2013

We have just returned from a two week stay at Kunang Kunang Guesthouse, there were three of us, my wife alice, our friend Kay and myself. It was the most relaxing, exciting and enjoyable experience all rolled into one holiday.
Ann and her staff, Kadek, Made and others were superb in offering attentive personal but not intrusive service, and Yandira our driver showed us sights we would never have known existed, travelling all the back roads he knew so well.
When I first contacted ann she promised to show us the real Bali, and she kept that promise giving us an insight into the Bali we never experienced in two previous visits.
The houses situated in the small village of Penestanan beside the rice fields are beautiful with gardens tendered by the resident gardener and provide a quiet oasis after a day exploring Bali.
Ubud is about 5 - 10 minutes by taxi and unless you are a keen walker and happy with climbing up and down stairs, I would suggest you take a taxi from the village about 10 minutes walk away. As I have a knee implant stairs are a challenge for me. We discovered Kopi Desa (a coffee shop) run by a lovely family in the village and spent hours in this cool relaxing place watching village life passing by, listening to a family member play guitar or ukelele, and enjoying mothers wonderful noodle or rice dishes, the ladies having tea or cuppuchino and me enjoying my tomato smoothies.
Summing up, our stay was a lovely time for the three of us, and for this we thank ann, Yandira, Kadek, Made and the remaining staff for providing us with a truly Balinese holiday experience.
Alice, Kay & John.

Response from the ownerJohn, it was a pleasure looking after you all during your Bali holiday. Thank you for taking the time to write your review. I am happy that you enjoyed yourselves and it was good to see you all so relaxed and happy on your departure. I wish you all the best.

“An amazing 2 weeks, with an amazing crew, at an amazing location”

Reviewed 4 Jun 2013

My wife & I just returned from 2 weeks at Pondok ibu anna in Ubud, Bali.
Our 4th time in Bali & probably the most enjoyable. Anne cannot do enough for you, she is so energetic, but she is helped by her fantastic staff, Yandira the driver / tour guide is so knowledgable, Kadek, ever so friendly & ready to help with anything, Made` quiet, courteous & friendly, always smiling. We did so much exploring, had a very 'wet' jungle walk, & also relaxed a bit ? Definitely will hope to see all the faces again in the near future, thanks for a great holiday, Rod @ Rita Hunt

Response from the ownerDear Rita and Rod,
Having met your son, Chris, here as a previous guest, I knew I would enjoy meeting you both. It was good fun showing you some of the best of Bali - places so many visitors to Bali never get to see. It will always be a pleasure to see you again, either here or in Australia. Thank you for being special guests.

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